[HANASHIR:7419] Re: Best Way to Teach/Display Lyrics?

[shirona <shirona...>]

Eric,  common sense will suggest that music, by it's very nature, is 100%
auditory...  As for helping kids learn the words, I can share with you my
personal experience as a music teacher:
1.  If the song has few, repetitive words, then no visual aids are
necessary.  The sound, rhythm (and hopefully meaning) of the words will be
forever intertwined with the melody.  That's the whole idea. That's why
songs stay with us into old age... long after we've forgotten much of the
"prose" of our lives...
2. With more complicated songs, naturally you have to "look" at the text,
study it, discuss it, and find ways to help memorize the words - if that is
your goal.  But ultimately music and singing are an auditory experience, and
I think it's OK to keep it as such.

Shirona



----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Simon" <erics (at) radix(dot)net>
To: <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2000 8:44 AM
Subject: [HANASHIR:7411] Re: Best Way to Teach/Display Lyrics?


> At 11:24 PM 11/15/00 -0500, Jeff Klepper wrote:
> >Each student (each person, actually) has a dominant learning modality:
> >visual, auditory or kinesthetic.  In music, the visual learner will do
best
> >when using a songsheet or overhead, the auditory learner will do best
> >without a songsheet, but rather by listening/repeating, and the
kinesthetic
> >learner will do best when there is rhythmic handclap or body movement
> >associated with the song.  Usually it's the leader's own modality
strength
> >which leads us to favor one of the above techniques, but the most
effective
> >teaching incorporates all three elements.  It's more complicated than
this
> >simple description, but fascinating nonetheless, and I hope helpful.
>
> May I add a few words?
>
> I recently attended a workshop on Jewish teaching (in general), and the
> presenter, who I suppose was an expert in this field, also stressed that:
> "Each student (each person, actually) has a dominant learning modality:
> visual, auditory or kinesthetic."
>
> He said that 70% to 80% of students are visual learners.
>
> But he added something else I had never heard before, and I think it's
> crucial for all teachers to be aware of this.
>
> He said that approximately 80% of _teachers_ are auditory learners.
>
> And, to him, therein lies a basic problem vis-a-vis teaching in general.
> Teachers, being primarily auditory learners, enjoy going to lectures, and
> learn a great deal from lectures (which is great for auditory learners) .
.
> . but tend to think that their students will learn similarly, and have a
> harder time connecting.  If lecturing doesn't work, they may try to spice
> up the lecture . . . unaware of that most of the students share a
> _different_ learning modality.
>
> Now, this was regarding teaching in general.
>
> Is is also true for _music_ teachers?
>
> I have no idea, but after reading the above comment, I couldn't help but
> wonder.  Perhaps for many of us, hearing a song a few times is the way to
> learn -- but is that also true of children?
>
> I have no idea.
>
> Further, it may be possible that music is an exception to much of this.
> E.g., we do know that words, talking, etc., are from one side of the
brain,
> yet music/singing is from the other side of the brain.  I'm tempted to
> offer as an example: how many of us have learned Hebrew prayers with the
> aid of a tune?  If the answer is many/most of us -- is the reason: (a)
> because we are auditory learners; or (b) because music is different?
>
> I don't know, just raising the issue.
>
> -- Eric
>
>
>

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